Parliamentary QA: Setting Limits For Healthcare Workers Such As Maximum Number Of Hours Worked

This Parliamentary QA was first published by the Ministry of Health, Singapore on January 10, 2022.

Balancing Between Manpower Reserves and Staff Wellbeing

To strike a balance between maintaining sufficient manpower reserves for COVID-19 work and allowing staff to take time off, public healthcare clusters are encouraged to allow staff to rest and recharge by taking days off whenever possible. About two thirds of staff in our public healthcare institutions were able to clear their annual leave. Only less than one-third could not fully clear their accumulated leave in 2021. When there is a need to manage workload during surges, clusters have hired additional manpower and reduced non-urgent and non-life-threatening care treatments. MOH has also worked on measures such as redeploying swabbers who have been freed up after the change in testing protocols to public healthcare institutions, calling for more volunteers to join the SG Healthcare Corps, and tapping on the private healthcare sector.

Link to full Parliamentary QA: https://www.moh.gov.sg/news-highlights/details/setting-limits-for-healthcare-workers-such-as-maximum-number-of-hours-worked-and-call-backs-allowed-and-mandating-guaranteed-time-off